The purchase of the M4500 plant by ASCO, one of Kuwait's leading construction companies, comes after the firm expanded its CDE plant stable in 2016 with a second modular washing plant, an M3500, to complement its original investment in an M2500 plant in 2013.
ASCO commercial representative Khaled Nasr says the superior performance of its technology coupled with its commitment to service delivery and project management made CDE the supplier of choice.
"Our past investments in the M2500 and M3500 units demonstrated the engineering excellence and durability of CDE wet processing technology.
"Such is the efficiency of the M-Series that demand for our range of quality sand products continues to trend upwards. To respond to market needs, we had to expand our production capacity. We decided the most appropriate course of action was to introduce a third M-Series plant to our operation. We consider investment in CDE technology to be best practice."
One of CDE's pioneering customers, ASCO was the first company to adopt CDE's M-Series technology in the Gulf region.
The construction industry is at the forefront of economic growth and the transformation of modern Kuwait.
The Kuwait Vision 2035 – or 'New Kuwait' – aims to deliver key infrastructure and other major construction projects, all of which will require significant volumes of high-quality washed sand and aggregates and other construction materials produced locally in the Kuwait and Gulf region.
Current developments include The Amiri Diwan's 26-storey Palace of Justice in the heart of Kuwait City, which will be the largest judicial building in the Middle East upon completion covering over 350,000m²; the new 75,000m² Boubyan Bank HQ, which commenced construction in December 2020; Kuwait Public Authority for Roads and Transport (PART) works, such as the 160km Kuwait Metropolitan Rapid Transit System (KMRT), a greenfield project to be developed in five phases to increase public transport mobility to the Metropolitan Area of Kuwait; and the 708,000m² Terminal 2 at Kuwait International Airport, which will have the capacity to accommodate 25 million passengers annually.
Commenting on the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the construction market, Nasr explains: "In the short term, we forecast lower demand for construction materials given the impact of Covid-19 on the industry. However, looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, we do expect to see the industry bounce back and that demand to recover as construction projects pick up pace again."
Since investing in its third M-Series, the M4500 modular sand washing plant, ASCO has expanded its processing capacity to 450tph.
Today, its three highly efficient CDE plants work in synergy to produce in-spec washed sand from large volumes of feed material sourced from nearby quarries in the region.
The plant has added 200tph of superior quality washed sand to ASCO's production output, with 85% being used for ready-mixed concrete and the remaining earmarked for cement plaster.
Commenting on the quality of the materials produced, Nasr says: "We're very familiar with CDE technology, so we were confident in the quality of the washed sand product and that it would meet Ministry of Public Works specifications. The addition of a third M-Series ensures that our sand products are of the highest quality available in Kuwait to meet, and often exceed, the expectations of our customers."
Ruchin Garg, CDE regional manager, MEA (Middle East & Africa), says the investment represents a major step forward for ASCO's customers in Kuwait.
"We're very pleased to continue our partnership with ASCO, an ambassador for CDE technology in the Middle East. Its early adoption of the M2500 and subsequent investments in the M3500 and M4500 plants has supported the company to becoming one of the leading suppliers of construction materials in Kuwait.
"The recent commissioning of a third CDE M-Series is testament to the quality of our service and product offering. For ready-mix concrete companies and project managers involved in major infrastructure and construction projects, it offers confidence that they are receiving washed sand products of the highest possible specification."
Remarking on the M4500, Garg adds: "The CDE M4500 revolutionised the way materials washing operators conduct their business. It was the first machine in the industry to combine feeding, screening, washing and stockpiling onto one compact chassis, and it manages to achieve all this with an impressive capacity."
